


intended purpose

by Verdantei (Zerrat)



Series: the truth of your universe [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Smut, Future Fic, Sex in inappropriate locations, Vague Post-Canon AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 16:41:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10139156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zerrat/pseuds/Verdantei
Summary: When Ruby wakes up alone in their Vacuo hotel room, Weiss is gone for the day. Her absence bothers Ruby far more than it should.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's been pretty fast since my last update, but honestly this idea wrote itself and I have absolutely no regrets.

Even mornings were stupidly hot in Vacuo, and the the time Ruby finally awoke with a jolt, the hotel room had moved on from stuffy to outright _sweltering_. At some point during the night, she'd managed to kick the covers off the end of the bed, the remaining sheets twisted at her feet. Groaning beneath her breath, Ruby wiped her damp hair back from her eyes--she wasn't even fully awake and she was already sweating. 

Now more than _ever_ Ruby wished she'd given into Weiss' request, and had forked out for a proper hotel with air-conditioning that actually worked. 

They'd survive, she remembered she'd told Weiss with a roll of her eyes. Vacuo was hot during the day, but freezing at night, clearly they'd be just fine! Yeah, Ruby wasn't feeling so sure about that right now, and waking up in what could be accurately described as an oven was playing havoc on the dregs of the hangover she was nursing. 

It wasn't that big of a concern; Ruby knew her aura would make short work of it as soon as she was up and about. What was far, far worse was that she'd woken up _alone._

Peering blearily about the room, Ruby searched for some sign of Weiss. Stupidly hot as it was, she could count on one hand the amount of times they'd actually had the rare pleasure of a bed, and _maybe_ she'd wanted to enjoy it to it's fullest. Just to get their lien's worth, of course. 

But Weiss was nowhere to be found, the tiny bathroom standing open and empty. The desk pushed to the side of their room had been cleared of the books and scraps of working papers that had littered its surface just last night, before Ruby had convinced Weiss to pay attention to _her_ instead of a bunch of long-dead Dust theorists. 

Sliding a hand back through her damp bangs again, Ruby heaved a sigh. So Weiss had awoken, somehow not stirred Ruby with her preparations and packing, and had already left for the day. 

_I am definitely bringing this up next time she gives me grief for an early rise,_ Ruby thought, maybe just a little spiteful, finally swinging her legs over the side of the bed and stumbling toward the bathroom. 

She had a quick, cooling shower--honestly, how had she slept through Weiss' own? She was a legendarily light sleeper, and if _Weiss_ with all her mandatory preening could sneak out on her, what about when they were deep in Grimm-infested territory? Still kicking herself, she dressed quickly, stowing Crescent Rose in its holster at the small of her back and tugging on her boots and cloak. 

Outside the room, it seemed like the whole hotel was buzzing with activity despite the hour. Which, Ruby amended as she checked the time on her scroll with a wince, actually wasn't all that early. 

Downstairs, she found Yang at one of the tables, making a good show of eating the hotel's kitchen staff completely out of supply as she shovelled cold meat and fruit down her throat. Half-way through a melon slice, Yang spotted Ruby and nearly choked, waving her over while simultaneously inhaling half a mug of coffee to wash it all down. 

Laughing, Ruby obeyed, occupying the seat next to her and leaning on an elbow. 

"Are you sure you're eating enough?" she asked, her tone teasing as she settled back to watch the carnage. "I'm getting worried you're wasting away at this rate!"

"No, and you should absolutely tell on me to Dad, too," Yang told her around a mouthful of what looked like _half a cold chicken_ , swallowing the whole lot of it with gusto. Jabbing her fork in Ruby's direction, she added with a smile, "You slept late."

Not what Ruby wanted to discuss, and blowing her drying bangs out of her eyes, she grumbled beneath her breath, "Don't remind me."

"Guess you're not as much a pro at moonshine as you bragged," Yang said with an expressive shrug, pausing to take another large gulp of coffee. "That Vacuo stuff will kick your ass and you'll love it for the honour. Did Weiss even get any work done up there after you bailed?"

Flushing hot, the memory of Weiss' fingernails raking desperately up the length of Ruby's spine sparking far too vivid in her mind's eye, she mumbled something that might have passed as a protest. Yang laughed. 

"I forget how shellshocked you still get when I tease you about her," she said, wrapping her artificial arm about Ruby's shoulders and giving her a squeeze. With her other, she slid a plate of ham sandwiches across the table, and the smile she flashed to Ruby was reassuring. "Lemme pay for breakfast and we can call it even, okay?"

Ducking her head and still trying to get her blush under control, Ruby took a sandwich. Despite the way her stomach had been growling at the sight and scent of food since she'd come downstairs, however, she didn't eat. 

"I... don't suppose you or Blake have _seen_ Weiss today, have you?" she ventured, aiming for absolutely casual and not at all like she was dying to know what her partner had abandoned her for. "She wasn't there when I woke up."

Yang's eyebrows rose, as if suddenly reminded. "Oh, right, yeah. She and Blake went to go research _our little problem_ over at the big library. They went super early to get a proper start on it."

Ruby's shoulders sagged at that, and she let her sandwich fall back to the plate, untouched. "The _library_?"

"The very same," Yang confirmed, her tone teasing and falsely grave as she leaned her chin on her robotic palm. "That bastard and his mutants aren't going to know what hit 'em next time Team RWBY rolls in on whatever dumb little island he's set himself up on."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, and it wasn't that her enthusiasm was faked... It was just that the ongoing saga with Doctor Merlot and his crazy obsession with the team wasn't really what she'd been wanting to think about that morning. They'd only just gotten rid of Salem and her coterie of psychopaths--it had felt at least a decade too early for a reprise. 

The coordinated attacks he'd been executing against the members of Team RWBY had been why meeting in Vacuo had been so necessary. But as much as Ruby adored seeing Yang and Blake, as incredible as a reunion of their family _was_ , she still wished she was wandering Vale with Weiss. 

Almost as much as she wished Weiss had been there for an encore of last night's efforts when she'd awoken, Ruby added with an internal sigh. 

Yang gave her a smile, punching her shoulder lightly. 

"God, you're so lovesick at times it honestly makes me want to hurl. But chin up, okay? We'll get him soon enough, and then you can go back to your whole sappy romantic travels." More insistent this time, Yang pushed the plate of sandwiches at Ruby. "Eat up before you go tearing after her, though, or jokes aside I really _will_ tell on you to Dad."

Managing a laugh and knowing better than to play with fire, Ruby picked up a sandwich once more. "Fine, _mom_ , but next time don't bring out the big guns so early in the morning, or they'll stop working."

"'Big guns'?" Yang repeated, grinning across at her, raising her flesh and blood arm and making a show of flexing her bicep. _"This_ is what we call a big gun, just FYI."

Ruby groaned into her sandwich. 

_The library. So much for enjoying the bed._

###

Aside from it's low prices--thanks to a standing hunter discount Ruby had ensured the whole team was taking full advantage of--the hotel they'd chosen had been selected for its close proximity to both Shade Academy and its ancient precursor, the Gran Vacuo Library.

The whole history of this area wasn't one that Ruby was all that familiar with. When they'd arrived in Vacuo yesterday, Weiss had been telling her something about "hundreds of years" and "contains countless artefacts, books and documents", but admittedly Ruby had been more focused on the reunion with Yang and Blake, the whole new city--the way the cloudless skies had reflected in Weiss' eyes to make them even more vividly blue than ever. 

Either way, the Gran Vacuo Library was one of the oldest buildings in the world, protected by both Vacuo's isolation and the fierce love its people held for their heritage. Standing outside the massive structure, Ruby could kind of get why. She and Weiss had seen their fair share of ruins and relics from a past long forgotten, but even then they'd never quite encountered anything quite so... spectacularly _awesome_ in both scale and architecture.

Ruby didn't even care for all that stuff and she was impressed, and for a long, wistful moment, she wished she'd been there to see the look on Weiss' face when she first laid eyes on it. She pushed the thought aside, determined not to let it ruin her mood. 

The Library's interior was actually kind of chilly when Ruby finally slipped through the grand front door--while the architecture might have been unchanged for centuries, the inside at least had been updated with air-conditioning. Compared to the hellish heat going on outside...

_No wonder Weiss and Blake chose to spend the day here,_ Ruby noted, tilting her head back to absorb the view.

The Library was huge, even bigger on the inside than Ruby could have guessed from the outside, towering three levels above the ground and another several below. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched out before her, countless books accompanied by more recent, digitised recordings and research. Hundreds of people, from researchers to hunters to Vacuoan civilians, milled about the main hall, carrying armloads of books and quietly working at the rows of desks set up off to the side. 

It was incredible, but Ruby's heart was very much sinking as the enormity of the task ahead of her began to set in. Forget her plans for finding Weiss--Ruby would consider herself lucky she didn't end up lost in the endless shelves for the rest of eternity. 

"For Weiss," Ruby told herself with a sigh, steeling her shoulders and beginning her search.

###

Even after having resorted to cheating with her semblance--'no running' rules be damned--Ruby must have been searching the depths of the Library for over an hour before she finally stumbled on Blake. Her old teammate's back was to Ruby as she scaled a rickety old ladder in one of the more isolated, shadowed set of bookshelves, gathering tomes beneath her arm, another pile of them heaped precariously on a trolley below her.

As Ruby approached, however, Blake looked up and over her shoulder--and _twitched_ at the very sight of her. 

"Oh _god._ " 

Ruby frowned, because that was so not the reaction she normally got from Blake. _Hi,_ was nice. _Ruby_ with an accompanying nod was also acceptable. Squinting up at her and a little put out, Ruby leaned a bare shoulder against the shelf. 

"Uh, do you maybe want to try that one again?" 

Blake's eyes narrowed just a fraction, and after a long moment, she turned back to her task, searching the rows of books once more. When she finally decided to speak, however, her tone was dry and deceptively calm.

"I thought Yang had said she was going to take you to visit Shade Academy." 

Ruby tilted her head, confused. Yang hadn't mentioned anything of the sort when they'd been having breakfast. Maybe she'd just decided to let Ruby make her own plans, after she'd asked after Weiss? 

Offering Blake a shrug, she replied, "I figured I could help you guys out instead. See this whole library thing that was meant to be so cool."

"Of course you did." Blake paused her search then, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger. A few beats passed before she looked back down to Ruby, her expression one of resignation. "Okay. Please just--keep her quiet." 

"Uh..." 

Reaching out to grab a final book from the shelf and tucking it with the others in her other arm, Blake descended the ladder, adding the whole load to the dangerous looking stack already on the trolley. From somewhere in the middle of it all, she pulled out a dusty, leather-bound tome as thick as the span of Ruby's hand. 

Blake passed it to her, thudding it gently against Ruby's chest. "Please, pass this onto her. She's down in the basement researching rune placement. Study Hall 13G."

"Study Hall 13G," Ruby repeated with a growing smile, trying to commit the location to memory as she looked down at the book in her hands. _The Practical Application of Mistralian Runes_ , she read, and her smile faltered. It sounded terribly dry, and a part of Ruby began to wonder if she'd maybe made a mistake coming here if _this_ was what Weiss was up to. 

"Too late now," she told herself, looking back up to watch Blake wheel her trolley back to a desk at the side of the room. "You're in it for keeps."

###

Weiss didn't look up as Ruby approached.

The alcove she'd commandeered herself was isolated, set back in the very corner of the research hall and surrounded by bookshelves and ancient-looking Dust refinement equipment. While Ruby been kind of forced by sheer association into becoming passingly familiar with modern Dust processes, a lot of this stuff she couldn't recognise even if her life had been on the line. 

Humming beneath her breath, Ruby leaned over the wooden desk, setting a hand to one side of the mounds of books piled up on its surface and peering down at whatever commanded Weiss' attention with such irritating _completeness_. Weiss hadn't even paused, still scratching down rapid symbols on a new-looking notebook, and from the inkstains on her fingers and smudges up the side of her hand, she'd already been at this for _hours_. 

"Not even gonna say hi?" Ruby prompted, gentle and teasing and not at all like she was dying inside for a scrap of her partner's attention. 

It was a few moments before Weiss finished her line with a stab of her pen--not aggressive, like it might have been back in their Beacon days, just final--before she looked up. Ruby's heart did that silly flop as she caught the the hint of a smile on Weiss' lips, and for a long moment, she forgot how words worked and all she could do was stare. 

_Yang is so right about the lovesick thing. I spend one morning on my own and I'm giddy over her smile,_ Ruby thought with an internal groan, but she finally give into her urge to lean across the desk a little further, pressing her lips to Weiss'. 

Weiss' cheeks had coloured by the time Ruby drew back. She looked back down to her work again, stubbornly set on pretending she wasn't pleased by the kiss, her tone suspiciously even as she said, "I'd been under the impression Yang was taking you somewhere 'interesting' today."

After having gone to the trouble of greeting Weiss with a kiss, that was _not_ the reaction Ruby had been aiming for. Despairing, she threw her hands up. 

"Why does everyone keep thinking that? I don't remember making those plans!"

Weiss' huff of a laugh took her by surprise, and Ruby looked across at her, questioning. 

"That's probably because you were both completely drunk when you made them," Weiss told her, and the amused twist in her voice was enough to chase away any lingering frustration Ruby might have felt. 

"Oh. Well, that makes sense then." Ruby craned her neck forward, looking down at the numbers and symbols on Weiss' latest page again, frowning. She was not exactly a moron at the whole Dust theory thing, but these... they held absolutely no meaning to her. At all. Holding out the old book Blake had given her, she added belatedly, "I came to help out."

Weiss arched an eyebrow, accepting the offered book with a _completely_ unfair amount of suspicion, only glancing down at the title once before adding it to the pile at her elbow. 

Ruby groaned. "Why doesn't anybody believe that?" 

"It's hardly that I don't believe you. It's just that you have a history of poor library etiquette." Weiss waved a hand, as if that explained anything, flicking through the pages of one of the enormous books already open on the desk. 

"Poor what now?"

"Don't play dumb." Weiss' blue eyes flickered back toward Ruby, just momentary. "I do have an awful lot of work to do here, and I recall both you and Yang failing to understand the _intended purpose_ of a library back at Beacon."

Outraged by the sheer hypocrisy of that statement, Ruby crossed her arms as she shot back, "Hey! You played those games too!"

"Only because you turned those puppy dog eyes on me every time I tried to say no." For all her pretences at being sour, there was a note of exasperated fondness to Weiss' voice, the hint of a smile on her lips. In her own, unique Weiss fashion, she was flirting.

Ruby's stomach warmed. Tilting her head, she leaned in again, and maybe she let her eyes rove Weiss' body a little suggestively as she said, "So you're saying if I want to stay, I need to _convince_ you?"

"I think you like the idea of that far too much." Weiss' face had flushed crimson, and she cleared her throat, determinedly looking anywhere in the hall but at Ruby. "You can stay, but try to keep your voice down. Sound can really carry in this place, and there are people researching that we need to be considerate of."

"I think I can manage that!" Ruby flinched, realising a little too late how badly her voice had been echoing. Ducking her head apologetically, she added far more quietly, "Anything you want."

Lacking another seat at the desk and the desire to go off and find one, Ruby instead took a spot on the ground close to Weiss' side, propping her back up against the wall, hugging a knee to her chest as she tried to settle in for the long haul. The basement floors of the library were even colder than the fridge at ground level, and now that she wasn't moving around to keep herself warm, Ruby was starting to feel the chill in the air on her bare arms. 

Of course, having been born and raised on what amounted to a frozen tundra for most of the year, it seemed like Weiss felt exactly none of the cold that bothered Ruby. She looked perfectly comfortable in just her shirt and jeans, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her hair twisted in a messy braid over her shoulder. 

Then again, Ruby felt a little guilty begrudging her this--Weiss had been nothing but miserable ever since they'd arrived in Vacuo's arid airport. Ruby had managed to distract her from the lingering warmth in their room last night, kissing her until Weiss had been unable to tell the difference between the heat from within and the heat outside. 

There'd been some experimenting with Weiss' natural inclinations toward ice-based Dust, and even now, Ruby shivered at the memory of twisting beneath the thin trail of frost up her spine, sharp in its pleasurable contrast, the heat from her skin melting it in seconds as she'd caught Weiss beneath her. 

Ruby groaned internally. She really, _really_ wished they'd had their chance for an encore performance that morning, and she shifted. Without a distraction, that persistent ache between her thighs she'd been so carefully ignoring began to strike up with a vengeance. 

Weiss was _right there,_ right within Ruby's reach--and more concerned with books and Doctor Merlot's machinations than the partner who was quietly dying for her touch. It was agony. 

"You're staring." Weiss didn't look down at her, her tone completely dry as she worked. 

"You said 'don't talk', not 'don't stare'." Ruby reached up, tugging on one of Weiss' belt loops, willing her to meet her eyes. "And I don't think I could really manage the latter, anyway."

Relenting, Weiss' gaze flickered back down to Ruby for a moment, that flush climbing high in her cheeks once again. "You're such an idiot."

"I'm your idiot." Ruby grinned up at her, and it honestly wasn't fair how badly she wanted Weiss' attention, to hoard all of it for her own. It was okay to be selfish once in a while, right? She was normally pretty good with sharing, but today... 

Before Weiss could turn back to her work again, Ruby asked, "So, what're you working on? Explain it like I'm five."

Weiss snorted beneath her breath, countering easily, "I'll explain it like you're _Ruby_."

"So... the same thing?"

"Just with more mimicked explosions." Weiss' smile was wry, and she leaned back from her desk, twisting to rest her elbow on the top of her chair as she said, "It's an array as part of a process to create... anti-Dust." 

"Isn't your whole thing _using_ Dust?" Ruby squinted up at Weiss, unable to picture something with the name "anti-Dust" having any sort of effect in their fights other than causing pure mayhem. Dust powered Crescent Rose's munitions, Myrtenaster's magic, gave strength to Weiss' summoned spectres. 

But then, Ruby _was_ incredibly distracted by the curve of Weiss' lips, the completely unfair way her shirt had pulled to show just the hint of cleavage, the fall of hair in her blue eyes in the most adorable way--

"Except," Weiss was telling her, completely unaware of Ruby's difficulties focusing. "Doctor Merlot is somehow managing to enhance normal Grimm with a Dust-based formula. If we do this right, the effect of _our_ work would be localised, and only on the intended target." 

"Sounds... neat?"

Weiss huffed a small laugh, gesturing grandly to the notes on the table. "I'd personally call this _revolutionary_ , although credit for the idea itself goes to Blake."

Ruby nodded, happy enough to take Weiss' word for it, and then she paused, pretending to frown. "Wait. Didn't you promise me an explosion?"

Startled, Weiss looked back down at Ruby for a long moment. Her expression entirely deadpan, she quietly mimicked the sound of an explosion, her hands lifting to form the blast. 

"Better?"

_"Weiss,"_ Ruby said, delighted and barely able to contain her laughter. 

Weiss flushed and turned away, hiding back in her boring rune work as she tried to regather the shards of her dignity. Ruby wasn't fooled for a moment--for all the lectures about poise and propriety she pretended to give Ruby, Weiss could be far, far worse at times. 

Honestly, Ruby loved her for it, and she wished so fiercely that she could just reach up, twist her fingers in that braid and drag Weiss down into a kiss. Maybe then Ruby could somehow convey exactly how _badly_ she loved Weiss and wanted her in that moment. 

As Weiss continued to write, however, Ruby let her head thud back against the library wall. She really was as bad as Yang claimed if she was going to sit here, letting her libido torture her for the rest of the day. 

After what seemed like an eternity of study, Ruby finally heard Weiss put her pen down. Her mouth dry, Ruby watched Weiss lean back in her chair, stretching her back until it gave an audible click. 

Exhaling, Weiss finally pushed her chair away from the desk, rising to her feet with a slight groan. 

"I'll be back. I need to go fetch some more material." Weiss looked back down to where Ruby was sitting, her expression a little hopeful as she asked, "Unless you do, in fact, want to help?"

Ruby could only manage a shrug, the swell of Weiss' breasts beneath the thin fabric of her shirt still branded in her mind's eye as she offered weakly, "Wouldn't really know what I'm looking for."

Weiss sighed. "Fine. Just make sure nobody touches anything while I'm gone."

Practically burning up with barely-contained want, Ruby watched Weiss vanish between the seeming infinity of bookshelves, biting down hard on her lower lip, squeezing her thighs together in a vain attempt to manage the building ache between them. This was so stupid. And moronic. But it wasn't going away and she couldn't _think_ , so after a few moments of frantic internal debate, Ruby climbed to her feet. 

If Weiss wasn't going to give her the attention she craved, well, that was honestly fine, but... She settled into Weiss' chair, adjusting her cloak so it wasn't caught beneath her weight, and by the time she heard Weiss' telltale, confident stride near the alcove once more, she was ready. 

Weiss froze for half a beat as saw Ruby occupying her spot, a book tucked beneath her arm and a suspicious scowl on her lips. Offering Weiss an insolent grin, Ruby patted her lap, letting the gesture speak for itself. 

Weiss' blue eyes narrowed. "Really?"

Ruby nodded, her smile only growing wolfish as she watched Weiss roll her eyes but relent. Scooting as far back in the chair as she could manage, she waited, expectant, as Weiss set her new textbook on top of all the others. As Weiss hesitated, uncertain, Ruby reached out, tugging her reticent partner down into her lap and wrapping her up in a warm, full-body hug. 

Weiss' breath caught at the sudden contact, and gruffly, she managed, "This is so juvenile."

Ruby hummed beneath her breath, burying her face into the crook of Weiss' neck and smiling against the warm skin. After a few moments, Ruby felt Weiss begin to relax, reaching across for her pen once again. Content to watch Weiss work, Ruby rested her chin against Weiss' shoulder. From here, she had a far nicer view than the one she'd had from the floor.

Better yet, Ruby could just breathe in deep, smell sweat and dusty paper and the ink dotted on Weiss' fingers from that cheap pen she'd found somewhere. 

During the efforts against Salem, Ruby remembered watching Weiss work on Dust refinement processes. The SDC had imploded spectacularly on the world, leaving everything from cities to entire armies powerless and weak. Back in those days, Weiss and Winter had been working around the clock with advanced Atlesian tech as they'd scrambled to shortcut a process that normally took days. 

Now, Weiss worked with books and paper and pens, her scroll abandoned on the desk. Somehow, it seemed more... her. 

Ruby's gaze tracked up from the notes, to the half-healed scratches on the back of her hands, the yellowed and fading bruises from their last hunt before heading for Vacuo, to the old scars corkscrewing deep up the length of her forearm. Emerald's knives had shredded the muscle there in the very last days of the war, a vindictive strike designed cripple when Weiss had denied Emerald victory. 

She still remembered the bloodied bandages knotted tight about Weiss' arm as she'd insisted on accompanying the rest of Team RWBY to the final fight with Salem. She remembered the blood, slick and messy on her own hands when Weiss had helped her to her feet when everything was over. 

The scars had faded now, healing well enough that they didn't seem to bother Weiss or hamper even the most complex forms with Myrtenaster. Absent, Ruby's fingers tracked down Weiss' sleeve to brush at the silver scar tissue, and beneath her touch, she felt Weiss pause. 

"Just checking that it's healed up." The lie was easy on Ruby's lips, and leaning forward to press herself against Weiss' back, she asked against the shell of Weiss' ear, "That okay?"

Weiss snorted beneath her breath, clearly disbelieving, but she didn't challenge Ruby any further on it. 

Sinking back into the chair and letting Weiss continue her work, Ruby let her gaze drop up and down her partner's body, letting it linger on every curve and muscle she'd come to know with such incredible familiarity. It was difficult not to get too excited by the warmth of Weiss' body between her legs, and despite knowing she had to be cautious, Ruby's heart was too loud in her own ears, too rapid. 

Her cheeks flushed hot, remembering Yang teasing her that morning about Weiss. This? This was so much worse than a few less-than-innocent implications, but she couldn't find it in herself to really care.

She wanted Weiss, so, _so_ badly, and she couldn't help but lean forward every so often, pressing her lips in chaste kisses to Weiss' back, to that sensitive divot in the muscle between her neck and shoulder. 

With each slow and cautious kiss, Ruby waited, reading Weiss' every reaction with careful attention. The way the stroke of her pen faltered on the paper, how the tension in her shoulders gathered and then eased, the relaxed tilt of her head with every touch. Ruby was prepared for a rebuke, any sign that her slow advances were unwelcome, but when she pressed her mouth in another lingering kiss to the nape of Weiss' neck, she listened. Weiss' exhale was unsteady, the catch in it sending lightning right through to Ruby's toes. 

Encouraged, Ruby leaned in again, her kisses against Weiss' soft skin lingering as she pressed them to the nape of her neck, her ear, through the fabric over her shoulder, hands tracing the sensitive spots on Weiss' ribs, abdomen and thighs. Weiss murmured something wholly unintelligible, and she pressed back into Ruby. 

Ruby felt herself smile against the back of Weiss' neck, a flush of delight suffusing her with warmth. She wasn't often patient, but this was what she was good at--detailed, sensitive work with her hands, her instinct and knowledge working together for the best result. It was how she cared for and maintained Crescent Rose each day, and it was how she loved Weiss, paying rapt attention to every shift and shuddery exhale, to every sensitive stretch of skin beneath her shirt and pressure point that drew twitches. 

As Ruby's mouth opened, her tongue circling hot and wet on the back of Weiss' neck, brushing the that messy braid to the side for better access, she caught the tiny sound in Weiss' throat at the action, all stifled pleasure. Finishing the kiss against her spine to press another to the back of Weiss' ear, Ruby glanced down to the page Weiss had been working on. The equations had been forgotten, the symbols trailing off into ragged lines, Weiss' pen still caught between slack fingers. 

Wrapping her arms more fully around Weiss, she exhaled, warm and wanting against Weiss' ear, let her fingers skim up the inside of Weiss' thighs again, light and teasing--

Ruby looked up at the sound of footsteps, internally groaning at the interruption as she leaned back and away from Weiss. In her lap, Weiss was frozen, more like the hunted than a fully-fledged huntress, her expression shellshocked and her cheeks scarlet as she watched the researcher kneel and begin to search the shelves nearby for a book. 

It felt like an eternity before the researcher found what he was looking for, loading his arms up with books before moving back between the shelves. Left again in their secluded alcove, Ruby felt Weiss finally release the breath she'd been holding, the sound of it shaky and relieved. 

"Say the word and I can stop," Ruby told her, low and sincere, biting down on her lower lip as she studied Weiss' expression. 

There was an incredibly good chance that the interruption had broken the mood, caused Weiss to reconsider Ruby's attentions given their incredibly _un_ private location. While Ruby couldn't really blame her if she changed her mind... _god_ the ache between her legs had become practically unbearable, and if she had to stop now she knew she'd need to step away to let off a little steam. 

Very deliberately, however, Weiss set her pen down on the notepad. Ruby's heart began to pound. 

"God, what am I doing?" Weiss asked, burying her face in her hand for a moment, her voice soft and rough with want.

Taking the hint, Ruby twisted her hands in the shirt at Weiss' shoulder, pulling her partner back and flush against herself. She felt Weiss sigh at the contact, melting at the kiss at the corner of her jaw, the trail of Ruby's tongue along the outside of her ear, her thighs shifting beneath the heavy, needy friction of Ruby's palms along the sensitive insides. 

By the time Ruby reached for Weiss' belt, her partner was plastered back against her, breath coming in shallow, soundless pants, her cheeks flushed hot. Her fingernails dug hard into Ruby's wrist, a silent plea for more as she shifted again, easing her thighs apart, and Ruby could smell the sharpness of her arousal in the air. 

Swallowing her eagerness to give Weiss exactly what she wanted, Ruby cast another look around the library, her fingers pressing against the seam of Weiss' jeans. Every so often, someone would pass by their little alcove, but nobody seemed to spare them a glance, their nose in their studies.

It seemed safe enough, and Ruby buried her face in Weiss' neck, breathing deep. 

"Ruby," Weiss managed, a low tautness to her voice that set Ruby's blood to thrilling, her mouth completely dry. 

Weiss' fingers tightened about Ruby's wrist again, leading her forward, with a low laugh Ruby couldn't find it in herself to do anything but obey. Careful, she pressed her mouth to the line of Weiss' jaw at the same moment she eased her hand down the front of Weiss' jeans and panties, her touch gentle and slow. Weiss felt impossibly slick beneath Ruby's fingers, a hiss escaping her teeth as she tilted her head back, finally releasing Ruby's wrist with a fevered jerk. 

Encouraged by the reaction she'd drawn, Ruby hummed beneath her breath, her eyes drifting closed as she again eased her fingers through soaking curls, her touch feather-light and teasing as she pressed another kiss to the side of Weiss' neck. She felt Weiss exhale, stifling another tiny sound as her hips hitched forward into Ruby's hand, always demanding. 

Ruby paid her no heed, intent on enjoying the slick heat of Weiss' arousal at her leisure. Weiss had left her this morning without so much as leaving a _note_ \--and this was probably the sweetest revenge she could ever have. Her touch was lazy as she pressed two fingers against Weiss then, just once, just to mess with her. 

The shudder that ran through Weiss at just a touch sent Ruby's thoughts to pure static, and maybe liking that reaction a little too much, she drew her fingers against Weiss' clit again, drawing small circles against her with as much patience as she could bear. 

Weiss' murmur was soft against Ruby's ear, breathy and desperate, her hips stuttering and arching with every twist of Ruby's fingers in a vain attempt at friction. Pleased, Ruby kissed Weiss' jaw again, her other arm shifting to hold Weiss' hips steady, motionless, refusing allow her that easy escape. 

Weiss' breath hissed out again at the next long, wide stroke of Ruby's fingers against her, the touch of a cry at the tail of it, her fingernails dragging over the satin of Ruby's stockings, the material catching and threatening to tear.

"Quiet," Ruby told her with a low laugh, and she wanted so badly to make a comment about library etiquette--but she had Weiss right where she wanted her and she wasn't about to spoil it now. 

Pressing soft, open-mouthed and eager kisses to the dip in the muscle between Weiss' neck and shoulder, Ruby circled her clit once more before parting her with a lazy thrust. Weiss' breath was more a gasp as Ruby drew her fingers back out, the hot wetness clinging to her fingers as she drew it toward Weiss' clit, spreading the slickness. 

She kept working Weiss slowly, knowing her every weakness and tell just as completely as she knew the internal mechanisms of Crescent Rose. No matter how Weiss strained for friction, for more, Ruby was set on wringing every last drop of pleasure from partner, every gasp and shudder. Only then would she consider sending Weiss over the edge. 

_"Ruby."_ The tremor in Weiss' voice betrayed her, a beg disguised as a demand. Ruby breathed in deep of her, unbothered, but she slowly eased her grasp about Weiss' hips, idly wondering if tonight she'd find bruises. 

Weiss seized her chance, the roll of her hips stuttering with every slow thrust as she rode Ruby's fingers, panting but somehow still silent. She drew just shy of the edge at Ruby's leisure, again and again, before Ruby would pull her away again, slowing her pace and trying something else. Weiss' entire body was _trembling,_ though, her skin slick with sweat where Ruby rested her cheek against her neck. 

Ruby's own breath was harsh, heat gathering with nigh painful intensity between her legs. There was just something incredibly addictive about breaking apart that incredible control of Weiss', right there in the Gran Vacuo Library. Slow, methodical, doing away with propriety and poise with just her mouth and fingers until all that was left was pure need. 

If Ruby was being honest, the only thing that would make the fantasy better was the sweet sound of Weiss' voice, hoarse and choked with every thrust. But this was enough, sighs and shudders and the way she clenched and rode Ruby's hand, this was--

Without warning, Weiss reached up, knotting her fingers hard in Ruby's hair, twisting tight enough to send sparks of pain flashing through Ruby's aura. Her own fervour reaching fever-pitch, Ruby turned her teeth against Weiss' throat, unable to help herself from finally, _finally_ taking mercy on her partner and sending her crashing over the edge with a final, firm circle of her thumb. 

It felt as though every muscle in Weiss' body went rigid in Ruby's arms, and she clenched tight around Ruby's fingers before she finally cried out, loud and sharp and carrying throughout the silent library. Ruby felt an impossible thrill race down her spine at the sound, Weiss collapsing back against her, releasing her hold on Ruby's hair and pressing it to her mouth, mortified. 

The dubiousness of their privacy aside, Ruby had absolutely no doubt every researcher on the level had heard _that_ part. Grinning, she withdraw her hand, wiping her fingers on Weiss' jeans and pressing a warm, adoring kiss to one scarlet cheek. 

"What was that about library etiquette, Weiss?" 

She hadn't known it was _possible_ for Weiss to grow any more flushed, but somehow it happened as she breathed, _"Ruby."_

Ruby laughed at her injured tone, nuzzling into the side of Weiss' neck again, examining the marks she'd made in those last few moments. It was hard to ignore the need still hot between her own legs, her mouth still completely dry from it. She burned with every moment, the fire consuming her every thought until she was so incredibly tempted to just do something about it there and then. 

Her face still pressed against Weiss' throat, Ruby breathed and absolutely didn't beg, "Don't suppose you feel like going somewhere a little more private _now_?"

Weiss sucked in a shallow breath as she looked over her shoulder, irritable despite the hazy look still in her eyes. "Funny time to become worried about that, after what you just did." 

Refusing to be baited, Ruby leaned forward, turned her mouth against Weiss' ear again, her teeth dragging light across the lobe. "Unless... you want another round right here before they come to throw us out?"

Weiss inhaled again, the sound of it shaky and flustered as she replied, "I see your point."

She was still blushing hot when she stumbled to her feet, her usual grace completely lost to her as she feverishly began to gather her notes up in her arms. Ruby only basked in it for a second before she rose up behind Weiss, swooping down to catch those lips in a deep, breathy kiss, before bending to help Weiss gather her things.

###

Blake was waiting for them when they finally found their way back to the Library's front foyer, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her ears laid flat back against her skull. Ruby hesitated at the sight of her, half-remembered fragments of their earlier conversation flitting through her mind before her stomach began to plummet.

_Just keep her quiet,_ Blake had told her with a long-suffering look, and it was pretty clear Ruby had gloriously failed. For the space of one, terrifying moment, Ruby wondered if it was too late to just hide behind Weiss. 

Blake arched an eyebrow as they neared, looking them both up and down like a disappointed parent, before finally meeting Ruby's half-hearted attempt at puppy-dog eyes. Honestly, Ruby needn't have bothered--Blake had always had an unfair immunity to that tactic. 

After a long pause, Blake sighed. "You had _one job,_ Ruby."

Ruby felt her face flush hot enough to mirror Weiss', and ducking her head, she couldn't help but ask, "So you heard all that?"

Blake scowled, waving a hand to the whole of the Gran Vacuo Library around them as she replied, "I think every Faunus here did."

At Ruby's side, Weiss groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Oh god."

Wincing at the scowl Blake was now directing toward Weiss, who had actually been pretty blameless as far as this whole thing had been, Ruby stepped in between them. She flashed Blake her best, most Yang-like smile as she tried to smooth things over. 

"Can't you two just… come back tomorrow?"

"If you think _she_ \--" Blake paused, gesturing vaguely toward Weiss and provoking another blush, "--will get any work done here ever again, I have some really bad news for you."

"That's a very harsh assessment, Blake," Weiss protested, but it was weak even as far as Ruby's generous standards went. 

"But true, regardless." After a few moments studying the both of them, Blake finally heaved a sigh, shaking her head. "I can't deal with you two any longer--I need a drink."

With that, Blake abandoned them in the library foyer. 

Watching their irritable teammate vanish into the throngs of people and feeling like they'd been granted a reprieve, Ruby looked back toward Weiss then, biting down on her lower lip and so, so hopeful. 

"To the hotel?"

The sidelong look Weiss pinned her with was one of blue-hot fire, the pure intensity of it enough to set Ruby to aching all over again. 

"Agreed."

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hey, it took only 5k words to get the White Rose nerds to screw. I'm improving! :D
> 
> ...also is that the hint of a wider plot I've casually slipped in there? Hmm indeed.
> 
> I'm also pretty sure Blake could not be more done with these two even if she tried.


End file.
